Top michigan Extortion Defense Attorneys

Michigan Extortion Defense Lawyers

If you’ve been charged with extortion, or are you are under investigation for extortion, you need an experienced Michigan white collar criminal defense attorney representing you as early in the process as possible. Extortion is an extremely serious felony offense that can result in a lengthy term of incarceration. Protect your rights, your reputation and your freedom by contacting our experienced Michigan felony defense lawyers. Let the experienced criminal defense lawyers at Jeffrey Buehner, PLLC do the talking for you.

What is the Crime of Extortion in Michigan?

Extortion involves attempting to obtain something from another person through the use of threats. There are two varieties of felony extortion under Michigan law: threatening injury and threatening an accusation of a crime. Any crime involving threats to another person is going to be treated in a serious manner by a judge, but just because someone alleges you threatened them, doesn’t make it true. Statements can be taken out of context, they may be outright fabrications or they may be the result of a misunderstanding. The important thing to remember is that if you are the person being accused of extortion, you don’t want to handle an extortion investigation or charge without an experienced criminal defense lawyer at your side.

Michigan Extortion Law - Threatening Injury

In order to prove extortion by threatening injury, the prosecutor must prove beyond a reasonable doubt all of the following:

1. The defendant threatened to injure the victim/the victim’s property or someone in the victim’s immediate family.

2. The defendant made this threat by saying it or by writing it down.

3. The defendant made the threat willfully, without just cause or excuse, and with the intent to either get money by doing it / make the person threatened (do / not do) something against the person’s will / or some for other improper purpose.

Michigan Extortion Law – Accusation of Crime

The elements of the alternate form of extortion (Accusation of Crime) are:

1.  The defendant threatened to accuse the victim of a crime.

2. The defendant made this threat by saying it or by writing it down.

3. The defendant made the threat willfully, without just cause or excuse, and with the intent to get money by doing it / make the person threatened (do / not do) something against the person’s will or for some other improper purpose.

What is a Threat?

A threat for the purpose of extortion is a written or spoken statement of an intent to injure another person or that person’s property or family. A threat does not have to be stated in any particular words. It can be said in general or vague terms, without saying exactly what kind of injury is being threatened. It can also be made by suggestion.

What is the Punishment for Extortion in Michigan?

Extortion is an extremely serious felony that carries potentially life-altering penalties. Extortion is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

Top Rated Michigan Extortion Defense Lawyers

If you’ve engaged in any type of conduct that could potentially be interpreted as extortion and you are contacted by the police, keep in mind that anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination: use it. Don’t talk with the police without an attorney. If something needs to be communicated to the police, it should be communicated through your lawyer.

The Michigan criminal defense lawyers at Jeffrey Buehner, PLLC have successfully closed out criminal investigations for many clients without charges being issued. In those cases where crimes have been charged, our firm has has successfully tried numerous cases to ‘not guilty’ verdicts. In other cases, plea agreements have been negotiated that avoided jail and minimized the impact on our clients’ lives.

Extortion is the type of criminal charge where you want an experienced trial attorney representing you. The criminal defense attorneys at Jeffrey Buehner, PLLC are all former prosecutors with decades of experience in state and federal courts throughout Michigan. For a free consultation with an experienced extortion defense attorney near you call (248) 865-9640 or fill out the form below.